A Bee's Life
by KTEW
Summary: Modern AU. Avatar. High school. Blah blah, you've heard it all before. But this time it doesn't focus on the gaang. It focuses on Smellerbee, Longshot, Jet, Toph, several OCs... and a guitar. Smellershot
1. I'm With You

*Bee's POV*

I dumped my books in my locker, fished my Shuffle out of my pocket, and started blasting "Mobile".

Jet leaned against the locker next to me and said… something.

"What?" I yelled, not bothering to turn my music down.

He yelled it this time.

"_WHAT_?" I still didn't turn it down.

He snatched my Shuffle. "Don't forget band practice this afternoon."

"I won't." I waited and stuck out my hand. "Give it back, Jet."

"Give what back?"

"Give me my Shuffle!" I said, grabbing the hand it was in and prying his fingers open.

I snatched it back and punched him in the arm. "Don't. Touch. The Shuffle," I said, only half-joking.

"Yes, Your Highness." He pecked me on the cheek. "Gotta run!" He started jogging away.

"Did you get detention again?" I called after him.

"Yep!"

I just rolled my eyes. Oh, yeah! I forgot to mention something. Jet and I've dating for, like, a week and a half.

What? Are you surprised?

I smiled a bit. Then I noticed Longshot scowling next to me.

"What?" I asked.

He shook his head. (Nothing.)

I rolled my eyes again. "Practice doesn't start for two hours. What do you wanna do?"

He shrugged.

Wow, I rolled my eyes three times in less than two minutes. A new record! "C'mon," I said, grabbing his wrist and dragging him to our building.

I dragged him to the hall outside my dorm. "Wait here," I said.

I ran in and grabbed my acoustic. I'm the guitar in the band. I know acoustic and electric, but Jet's song choice is more electric. Actually, I'm not sure he even knows I _play_ acoustic. It's not that I don't want him to know, he just never brought it up.

I walked back into the hall, guitar in one hand, sheet music in the other. Not that I really needed it.

"Any idea where we should go?" I asked him. What was wrong with my dorm, you ask? No boys allowed in girls' dorms, visa versa. Stupid rule. Lived by it for years.

He shrugged again.

I almost rolled my eyes again, but then I realized something wasn't right. _He_ usually thought of what to do. Actually, he'd been like that all week.

"You okay?" I asked.

He looked kinda startled. (What? Yeah, I'm fine. Why?)

"You been kinda out of it all week."

(I've just… got a lot on my mind.)

"Like what?"

(It's nothing, really.)

I gave him a weird look. It wasn't like him not to tell me what was wrong. But I knew better than to pressure him.

"Let's go up front," I said. "Not many people will be outside in mid-January."

He nodded and waited while I ran back into my room and grabbed my jacket. I wasn't a big fan of the cold myself, but thinking of quiet places after school, indoors, at a _high school_ is pretty tough.

We'd just walked out of the building when I realized something. I turned to him.

"Shouldn't you get your jacket?"

He shrugged. (I'm fine.)

"Waddaya mean 'You're fine'? It's, like, thirty-five degrees out."

(I'm fine,) he repeated.

I gave him another look. He usually hated the cold.

I shook my head. "Whatever. C'mon." We walked over to the front of the school and sat down on one of the benches. I was right, there was no one around.

I set my music on the ground and put the guitar in my lap. Even after all these years, it was still a little too big for me. My dad gave it to me before he… I won't get into that.

I dug out the music for the song I wanted to do. I'd memorized everything but the intro.

_Let's see_, I thought. I looked at the page. A5, B5, D5, A5…

I started strumming. There were supposed to be, like, three guitars, drums, and what sounded like a synth, but too bad.

I started singing along.

"_I'm standing on the bridge_

"_I'm waiting in the dark_

"_I thought that you'd be here by now_

"_There's nothing but the rain_

"_No footsteps on the ground_

"_I'm listening but there's no sound_

"_Isn't anyone trying to find me_

"_Won't somebody come take me home_

"_It's a damn cold night_

"_Trying to figure out this life_

"_Won't you take me by the hand_

"_Take me somewhere new_

"_I don't know who you are, but I_

"_I'm with you_

"_I'm with you_

"_I'm looking for a place_

"_I'm searching for a face_

"_Is anybody here I know_

"'_Cause nothing's going right_

"_And everything's a mess_

"_And no one likes to be alone_

"_Isn't anyone trying to find me_

"_Won't somebody come take me home_

"_It's a damn cold night_

"_Trying to figure out this life_

"_Won't you take me by the hand_

"_Take me somewhere new_

"_I don't know who you are, but I_

"_I'm with you_

"_I'm with you_

"_Why is everything so confusing_

"_Maybe I'm just out of my mind_

"_It's a damn cold night_

"_Trying to figure out this life_

"_Won't you take me by the hand_

"_Take me somewhere new_

"_I don't know who you are, but I_

"_I'm with you_

"_I'm with you_

"_Take me by the hand_

"_Take me somewhere new_

"_I don't know who you are, but I_

"_I'm with you_

"_I'm with you_

"_I'm with you_

I strummed the last chord. It was one of the many things only Longshot knew about me: I'm a singer.

I heard clapping. I turned to Longshot.

(Bravo, bravo.)

I glared and raised a fist.

He stopped. (Right! But, seriously, it was good.)

"Ha ha, very funny."

This time _he_ rolled his eyes. (Why won't you believe me?)

I just shook my head and dug out the music for "Complicated". We sat there a while, me playing one song after another, him listening in silence.

It was time for practice before I knew it.

Literally.


	2. Misjudging

*Jet's POV*

Man, where _were_ they? They were half an hour late! Normally _I_ was the late one! (Normally, this was the first time I hadn't been, same difference.)

_I should probably go find them_, I thought. I sighed, turned off my music, and got up.

I checked the lounge, Longshot's dorm, and the caf. I asked around. No one had seen them.

At least another half an hour later, I was just about ready to give up. I walked to the front of the school. It was officially the last place to check.

And they were there.

Of course.

They were sitting on one of the benches. He raised an eyebrow, she burst out laughing.

Huh. She never laughed like that around me. I stopped walking and just watched.

She said something I was too far away to really hear. He shrugged. I guess she must've glanced at her watch, because she jumped up, almost sending the acoustic on her lap (She plays acoustic?) flying, and yelled, "Damn it! Jet's gonna kill us!"

Longshot looked up and saw me. His eyes widened. She noticed and whipped around. She gasped. "J-Jet! How long've you been standing there?"

Everything clicked. Late to practice. No one knowing where they were. Laughing like that. Their reactions.

It's not like I hadn't noticed the way he always looked at her. But I didn't think…

I realized I hadn't answered. "Not long. I was worried. Usually I'm the late one." I forced a smile.

She looked like she was trying not to look relieved. "Sorry. Lost track of the time. We'll be there in a sec, I just need to drop this off," she said, holding up the guitar and a pile of sheet music.

"'Kay." I nodded, turned, and started walking. My two best friends. I never would've thought.

But I knew what I could do to get back at them.


	3. Just You and Me

*Bee*

Saturday, sweet Saturday. I was going off campus with the boys later. It'd be nice to get away for a few hours.

I rummaged through my dresser. Practice was pretty uneventful yesterday. Although Jet seemed a little off. Man, they were both hiding something from me and it was driving me _crazy_! Well, at least he didn't bring up what'd happened outside. I was kinda worried when he saw us. There was a reason I only told Longshot I sing.

I sighed. Pink, pink, pink. I hate it, but its not easy for me to get new clothes. Its not like I have parents to give me the money. And not many places hire 14-year olds.

I shook my head. Can't think like that. T-shirt, t-shirt, sequins, t-shirt, gym clothes. Can't live with 'em, can't pass without 'em. And I needed to pass. My scholarship required that I had an A in every class. _Fun_.

Let's see… There was a good sweater. I looked for a cami to go with it. I found one, tossed it and the sweater onto my bed, and pulled out an old pair of jeans.

I yanked everything on and walked over to my mirror. I put on some–okay, a lot of–eyeliner, and clipped four red barrettes in my hair. It's an ancient tradition that, when someone in your family dies, you paint a stripe of blood on your cheek. Well, I'm not about to walk around with four stripes of blood on my face, so I use barrettes instead.

I slipped on my bracelet. It's the only jewelry I ever wear. It's really just dark blue glass beads, but it's the only thing I have left of my mom. (She made it when she was younger. When I was, like, five, she gave it to me.) I guess I'm kinda like Katara like that. But at least she has a dad.

Won't think like that. _Can't_ think like that.

I slipped my earrings in. My mom took me to get my ears pierced when I was four. They were torture at first (the gun got stuck for one of them), but it was the least I could do to wear them. I usually never took them off, except to switch them, but my ears were starting to puff up again, so… Yeah.

I sighed, tried yanking a brush through my hair, gave up, grabbed my key, and walked downstairs.

I grabbed breakfast. Longshot had archery practice (at 9 on a Saturday, Spirits know why) and I had no idea where Jet was.

I went back up to my dorm, sat down on my bed, grabbed my book, and started reading. It's called Nightschool. It's this awesome horror/comedy manga about a cursed 13 year old witch whose sister goes missing.

I must've really gotten into it, 'cause when I heard a knock an hour and a half later (gimme a break, I'm a slow reader), I jumped. High.

"Who is it?" I asked, even though I knew perfectly well who it was.

I could just see him rolling his eyes. (Longshot.)

I stuck in a bookmark. "Coming." I walked over and opened the door.

(You ready?)

I stared.

(It's 11.)

"Really?" I glanced back at my clock. "Huh. Time flies. Hang on." I ran back and grabbed my purse off the floor. I made sure I had my key in my pocket, slipped outside, and locked the door.

I turned back to Longshot. "Ready – Wait, where's Jet?"

He sighed. (Detention. Again.)

I groaned. "Oh, come on! Can he go a _day_ without getting into trouble?"

(Apparently not.)

I sighed. "Guess it's just you and me."

We walked out to the parking lot. Then I realized something.

"Hey, if Jet's not coming, how are we getting there?"

He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket. (Jet gave me the keys.)

"_No_," I said firmly.

He looked hurt. (Why not?)

"You _cannot_ drive."

(I can drive.)

"Not more than ten miles an hour! It'd be faster to walk!" Then I got an idea. "Actually… Why don't we?"

(You _do_ realize it's two miles each way.)

I shrugged. "So? We used to do it all the time. You guys only got your licenses this year."

He crossed his arms. (I wanna drive.)

"_No_." I started walking, literally dragging him along.


	4. The Mall

*Longshot*

She dragged me into the building. "Wasn't that refreshing?" she asked, grinning.

She was up to something. I glared. (You just made me walk two miles. In the middle of winter.)

She nodded, still grinning. "I figured you wouldn't mind, seeing as you're starting to like the cold so much."

And there it was. I just rolled my eyes.

She groaned. "Seriously, Longshot. Something's up, and you won't tell me what, and it's killing me here!"

(I already told you. I just have a lot on my mind.) A lot you wouldn't get.

I looked around and finally realized where she'd dragged me. (The mall? Why the mall? You hate the mall.)

She flushed. "It's got the only bookstore in a ten-mile radius. Come on." She grabbed my wrist and started dragging me along. Again.

When we finally got there, she ran straight to the teen section. "Vampires, vampires, vampires," she muttered, skimming.

I raised a eyebrow. (You love vampires.)

"No, I _used_ to love vampires," she said, not looking up. "Ever since Twilight came out, every girl is obsessed with them. I'm just kinda sick of them. Vampires, vampires, romance, vampires, read it, read it, vampires…" She straightened up and swept her hair behind her ear. "Should I give up yet?"

(What about that manga you're always talking about? Night something.)

"It's called Nightschool. And they're eleven bucks each. I only have nine." She went back to skimming.

I rolled my eyes and pulled three dollars out of my pocket. I held it out to her.

"No," she said, again without looking up. "I'm not taking your money."

(Either you take it or I pick what book you get.)

"Thank you," she said, grabbing the money and running off to go find the book.

I watched her. I've kinda had a crush on her for… a while. We used to live in the same neighborhood. Before the accident. It'd killed both of our families. I was eight, she was only six. After that, we were inseparable.

For a year or so, we lived at the same orphanage. And then someone wanted to adopt me, but not her. I did everything I could to try to get them to take her, but it didn't work.

So I did everything I could to try to get them to _not_ take me.

_That_ worked.

Another year, no one wanted to adopt either of us. Then I took this college test thing in class, and got the highest score out of the entire grade.

The program it was for cost over a thousand dollars. There was no way I could do that. But over the summer, I got this offer for a full scholarship to a boarding school. It was tempting, but there was no way I was going without Bee.

They were so impressed with my scores, they actually let her take the test two years early.

She did better than me.

So we both wound up at FNH. Then we met everyone else. Pipsqueak and the Duke were there on the same thing; Jet was there because he'd been kicked out of every other school in the state.

Somewhere along the line, I'd started to like her. I honestly can't remember when. I'll admit it, I was kinda jealous of Jet.

Okay, forget the kinda.

But he was my best friend – other than her. I couldn't really be mad at him.

"Hey, Longshot," a voice said behind me. I turned.

The Duke was standing there, clutching six books to his chest, and grinning like an idiot.

(Hey, the Duke. How are gonna afford all those?) He could understand me well enough for me to not talk, but not as well as Jet, and definitely not as well as Bee.

"Oh, you know, another invention."

Of course. (What'd you invent this time?)

"Hold these," he said, shoving his pile of books into my arms.

He held out his wrist. It had a black watch on it. He pressed a button and it started glowing green, a holographic computer screen popping up. "Ta da!" he said, way too loud.

(This feels like a spy movie.)

"Exactly!" he said, taking the books back. "They use stuff like this a lot in the movies, but it's all special effects. No one's ever actually built one before!"

"Have I ever told you you're a freak?" Bee said, coming up behind me.

The Duke stuck his tongue out at her.

"I meant it in a good way," she said, walking around me and punching his shoulder. I winced. I'd learned the hard way that, even when she wasn't trying to hurt you, she did.

"How much did you get for it?" she asked.

"A _lot_." He set his books on the ground and pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket. He handed us each a few bills.

"How much is this?" Bee asked.

"Three hundred bucks."

"_What_!" we yelled at the same time.

Everyone turned and stared at us. "_How_ much did you get?" Bee asked, lowering her voice.

"Twenty-five grand."

We just stared a moment.

"What are you gonna _do_ with all that?" Bee asked.

"Well, I have a couple loans to pay off, then there've been a few books I've been meaning to get," he pointed at the stack, still on the floor, "then I want to invest in another experiment I'm working on."

"Okay, then," Bee said, edging away, obviously knowing what was gonna happen next.

"You wanna know what it is?" the Duke asked, eyes bright.

"No, thank you," Bee said, still edging away.

He ignored her. "It's an–"

Bee grabbed my wrist and ran to the checkout counter. The was one person in front of us.

The Duke followed us. "It's an anti-gravity chamber. All I–"

The woman in front of us stepped out of line. Bee ran up and slammed the book and money on the counter.

"Want it in a bag?" the cashier asked.

"No thanks!" she said.

"All I have to do is–" the Duke continued.

The cashier pushed the book and the change back to her. She grabbed the book. "Keep the change!" she yelled, running out of the store.

I followed her.

"Man," she said when I caught up. "Once that kid _starts_ talking about science, he never stops."

I nodded.

She turned to me. "Waddaya wanna do now?"

I shrugged. (Lunch?)

She raised an eyebrow, then looked at her watch. "Huh. 12:30 already. Time's flying today. Sure, why not?"


	5. Sk8er Boi

*Bee*

We were sitting in the Food Court, picking at our food. For once, I couldn't think of anything to say, and he wasn't helping. I looked around. There actually weren't many people there. Weird for a Saturday afternoon.

"So… How was archery practice?"

He shrugged. (Same old, same old.)

Well, that didn't work. "Can you believe the Duke got twenty-five grand off of one invention? The kid just turned ten!"

He shrugged again. (Remember the time Sydney White was on in the lounge, and you made me watch it with you?)

"Waddaya mean I made you watch it? I specifically said, several times, you don't have to watch it if you don't wanna." I usually don't like chic flicks, but I do love comedies.

He rolled his eyes. (Anyways, at the end one of the guys, I can't remember his name, got a million for a _theory_.)

"He was, like, twenty-eight! The Duke should be in fourth grade!"

(I'm just saying.)

I raised an eyebrow. "No, you're not."

We laughed.

After we calmed down, I smiled a bit. I'd been getting worried. I thought something was wrong.

I finally heard what they were playing over the speakers. Slipped Away. Great artist (Avril's my favorite, in case you haven't figured it out yet), sad song. Sad, sad song.

I stabbed a piece of chicken and finally ate something. The song finished, the DJ came on.

"And that was Slipped Away by Avril Lavigne. Next up, we have something a little different for you. Now, I'm just gonna play a clip, see what you think."

I wondered what he meant. Music started playing again. I recognized the intro to Sk8er Boi. Longshot had actually recorded me singing that song, just so I could hear what I sounded like.

But the music was different. I knew the original was electric, but this was acoustic. That must've been what he meant.

"Hmm. Never heard this version," I muttered.

Longshot looked at me funny, then seemed to hear it. His eyes got wide.

"What?" I asked.

He shook his head and stood up. (You wanna go now?)

"Waddaya mean? We just got here." I tuned back in to the music. He sat down, looking nervous.

"_He was a boy_

"_She was a girl_

"_Can I make it any more obvious_

"_He was a punk_…"

"Huh," I muttered. "It doesn't sound like her." Longshot slid down in his chair.

"_What more can I say_

"_He wanted her_

"_She'd never tell_

"_Secretly she wanted him as well_…"

The voice was… familiar. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I knew it from somewhere.

"_All of her friends_

"_Stuck up their nose_

"_They had a problem_

"_With his baggy clothes_…"

It sounded like… me. "Why does it sound like me?" I muttered.

Longshot slid further down.

I looked at him. "Longshot, what did you–" Then it clicked. The recording. Why he wanted to leave.

"You _didn't_," I whispered.

He bit his lip and slid down even further.

"You sent the recording to a _radio station_?" I yelled after a moment.

I didn't care that everyone was staring, I didn't care he looked like a kicked puppy, I wasn't through with him!

"There's a _reason_ I only told you!"

(But you're _really good_. I thought everyone else should know.) The thought was soft.

"Did you ever think maybe I didn't _want_ everyone else to know? Look, I know _you_ think I'm good. _I_ don't. I already get enough bull at school, just from how I look! How I act! I don't need it 'cause of _this_, too!"

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"I don't _care_!" I grabbed my purse off the floor and ran for the door.

The last thing I heard was the DJ saying, "And that was Sk8er Boi, by Kyoshi Island's very own Smellerbee Akamori."

The last thing I saw was everyone staring at me.


	6. Annoyances

*Bee*

I'd gotten back to school about eight minutes later, breathing hard as hell, but I didn't care. I ran up to my dorm and collapsed on the bed.

Thinking back, maybe I'd overreacted a bit. But I trusted him. I've _always_ trusted him, and then he…

I grabbed a pillow and screamed into it.

When I said I already got enough bull, I meant it. Everyone knows how hard it is to be a freshman, but imagine it without parents, in a school full of rich kids.

Not fun.

I heard knocking.

"Go away!" I yelled.

"Bee? You okay?" Not the voice I was expecting.

I jolted upright. "Jet?"

"Yeah, Longshot told me you guys came back early. Is something wrong?"

"N-no, I'm fine. I just… was getting kinda bored, so I came back early." I couldn't let him find out.

"Alright…" He sounded doubtful.

I sighed. "Be out in a sec." I got up, stretched, walked to the door, and opened it. "Yeah?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. Just wanted to make sure you were alright."

I sighed again, slipped out, and locked the door.. "So," I started, leaning against the door. "Detention _again_ this morning?"

He flushed. "Heh. Yeah. I might've… _accidentally_–"

I held up a hand to stop him. "I don't care, as long as you're here now." Wow, that sounded cheesy.

He smiled. "You wanna grab Longshot? He said you guys didn't eat."

"_No_!" I said automatically. He raised an eyebrow.

"Something, uh…" I started. "Something happened at the mall. I don't really wanna see him right now."

He shrugged. "Alright. Whatever. But, seriously, you wanna grab lunch?"

I smiled. "Sure."


	7. Freak Out

*Bee*

Nothing special happened at lunch. After, I headed back to my dorm and finished my book. I realized I'd left the other one on the table at the mall. Oh, well.

I yawned and got up. I glanced at the clock. It was already almost 4. Pipsqueak had wrestling, the Duke was probably holed up in his dorm, working on that anti-gravity thing, I was still mad at Longshot, and Spirits only knew where Jet was, so I thought maybe I could go talk to Cinnamon and Honey.

Maybe I should tell them about the singing thing. I actually wouldn't mind. They'd understand. They might actually help. We were three of a kind. Three little orphan girls. Heh. Sounds like a kids' book.

I pulled on my jacket, went downstairs, and starting walking towards their dorm. Again, not many people out–an occasional teacher or a couple holding hands through mittens. Cheesy.

I pulled my jacket tighter and shivered. I could see my breath cloud up in front of my face.

I was about halfway there–it was about half a mile, all the way across campus–when I heard something.

Something familiar.

A fight.

Should I keep going, towards warmth, comfort, and a couple of good friends; or should I check it out?

I sighed._ Karma, this had better pay off later_, I thought, walking in the direction of the sound.

I glanced around the corner. I needed to see exactly what was going on before I did anything and, while I wasn't exactly spy material, I could do stealth.

Luckily, they had their backs to me. I wasn't _that_ good. They were cornering someone against a wall. Most of them were taller than me, so I had to stand on my toes to see who it was.

_Longshot_?

As soon as I saw him, my anger melted. He honestly looked scared for his life. Not that he shouldn't be; I'd seen those boys around before and they were nothing but trouble.

And Longshot _sucked_ at hand-to-hand.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Hey, guys!" I yelled.

They turned around. Longshot's eyes widened. I noticed he already had a black eye and was clutching his arm.

I stomped over. "Leave him alone." Even to me, my voice sounded like ice.

One of them scoffed. "Oh, yeah? What're you gonna do?"

"Do you _really_ want me to answer that?" Okay, so I don't look as intimidating as I want to.

He raised an eyebrow. I interpreted that as a yes.

I gave him a right hook to his stomach.

He almost collapsed, gasping.

"Anybody else?" I asked, looking around.

They high-tailed out, their leader trailing behind them.

I turned back to Longshot.

His eyes were wide. (How did you _do_ that?)

I half-laughed. "What you think I survived the orphanage 'cause of _you_?" I looked away. "You never noticed, but the new girl isn't exactly the most welcome. Not 'til she can prove herself, anyways." I shook it off and turned back to him. "You okay?"

He still looked slightly stunned. (Yeah, yeah, I'm fine.)

I crossed my arms. "You can't lie to me, Longshot. C'mon, let's get you cleaned up." I grabbed his good arm and started dragging him to the nurse's office.

(No! Seriously, I'm fine!) I turned and looked at him. He was panicking.

I raised an eyebrow.

(I just…) He looked away. "At least let me come up with a good excuse first."

I felt my face soften. I always thought it was hard being me, but then I tried to picture what it was like being him. Everyone thinking you're stupid, just 'cause you're shy.

"Hey, chill," I said. "I've got a couple icepacks in my room, no big deal."

He looked up and smiled gratefully.

I smiled back a bit. Then I started dragging him to my dorm.

I ran in and grabbed two icepacks out of the mini freezer-thing; he waited outside.

I came back out and we started walking back to the courtyard.

We sat down on one of the benches. I handed him the two, he held one to his eye and tried to grab the other one, but flinched when he moved his arm.

I picked it up and put it on his arm. He smiled again.

"So," I whispered a moment later, "it was the voice this time, right?"

He looked startled, then looked away. And nodded.

I really did feel bad for him. We'd been orphaned at the same time, our families had been killed in the same car accident; we only survived because I was sick that day and was being watched by a neighbor and he was at a friends' house. But, at the orphanage, even though I had to grow up fast, he had to grow up faster. To protect me.

He always took care of me. But I never thought of him as a brother. I wasn't sure if it was because at that point I was still mourning my real one, or something else.

I shook my head and sighed. Longshot looked at me, eyebrows raised. I ignored him.

The annoying thing was that, even though he was always protecting me, he never stood up for himself.

I got an idea.

I stood up, put my hands on my hips, and looked down at him. "You're comin' with me," I said, grabbing his arm and dragging him again.

I pulled him over to the gym. I opened the door a bit and looked in. Practice never finished that early, but sometimes they'd practice outside instead.

It was empty. I pulled Longshot in and closed the door.

I ran over to the stage–we had a small one in the gym and a bigger one in the actual theater–and ducked behind our amp. We're pretty much the only people who use the small one, so we get to keep all our stuff there. I have a box of karaoke CDs in a box hidden behind the amp.

I grabbed it, set it on top, and came back out. I took it down, rummaged through, found the one I wanted, and popped it in the CD player we had plugged into the amp. I put it there and Jet never asked why, so… Yeah. I would've played the song myself, but it has electric, acoustic, drums, back-up, bass, percussion, and programming (it says in the lyric book), so I thought it'd be better to do the karaoke.

I ran over and grabbed the mike. Longshot was still looking at me like I was crazy.

"Sit," I said into it.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, just sit!" I yelled, walking back to the player.

He rolled his eyes, but sat.

I went to track 11, took a deep breath, and hit play. The intro started. I walked back to center stage. I was a little worried; I loved that song, but I hadn't heard it in a while, I hoped I'd be able to remember the words.

I just started nodding my head to the music, hoping I'd remember when to start.

I did.

"_Try to tell me what I shouldn't do_

"_You should know by now_

"_I won't listen to you_

"_Walk around with my hands_

"_Up in the air_

"'_Cause I don't care_

"'_Cause I'm alright_

"_I'm fine_

"_Just freak out, let it go_

"_I'm gonna live my life_

"_I can't ever run and hide_

"_I won't compromise_

"'_Cause I'll never know_

"_I'm gonna close my eyes_

"_I can't watch the time go by_

"_I won't keep it inside_

"_Freak out let it go_

"_Just freak out, let it go_

"_You don't always have to_

"_Do everything right_

"_Stand up for yourself_

"_And put up a fight_

"_Walk around with your hands_

"_Up in the air_

"_Like you don't care_

"'_Cause I'm alright_

"_I'm fine_

"_Just freak out, let it go_

"_I'm gonna live my life_

"_I can't ever run and hide_

"_I won't compromise_

"'_Cause I'll never know_

"_I'm gonna close my eyes_

"_I can't watch the time go by_

"_I won't keep it inside_

"_Freak out let it go_

"_On my own_

"_Let it go_

"_Just let me live my life_

"_I can't ever run and hide_

"_I won't compromise_

"'_Cause I'll never know_

"_I'm gonna close my eyes_

"_I can't watch the time go by_

"_I won't keep it inside_

"_Freak out let it go_

"_Gonna freak out, let it go_

"_Gonna freak out, let it go_"

I smiled a little, then ran over to the player and turned it off before it could get to the next song.

"Got it?" I said into the mike.

He nodded, trying not to laugh.

I stuck my tongue out at him, causing a bit of feedback. "I'm serious! You have got to stand up for yourself! You always stand up for me, but let yourself get pushed around every day!"

"I know, I know," he whispered.

I smiled. "Good." I put the mike back and hopped down.

He stood up and looked down at me. Ack! When did he get five inches taller than me? (So, you forgive me?)

I chuckled. "Yeah, I forgive you." I put my hand in my pocket, only to find that wad of cash. I hadn't had the time to put it in my wallet at the mall, and I was so angry at Longshot later that I forgot. That reminded me of The Duke's project. I wondered… "Hmmm…"

Longshot raised an eyebrow.

"I wonder if Granyt knows about The Duke's experiment. She likes inventing things, and, bonus, isn't a total pyromaniac!"

He looked like he was about to laugh. Then a thought struck him. (Actually, when's the last time we visited her and Jewels?)

I thought about it for a moment. They were each in a couple of my classes, but other than that, it'd been a while. "Huh. I really don't remember. You wanna?"

He shrugged. (If you do.)

I rolled my eyes. I should've expected that. "C'mon." I started dragging him.

Again.

**Woo! More uploading! See, I'm not dead! But I'm worried this chapter was a little cheesy...**


	8. Oblivious

*Granyt*

"And just one drop…" I muttered, raising the test tube above the graduated cylinder. I could just picture Jewels rolling her eyes behind me.

I tilted the test tube, the droplet rolling to the lip.

And then someone knocked on my door.

I jumped, sending the test tube up in the air and making half the thing pour into the graduated cylinder.

Oh, Spirits…

"Duck and cover!" I yelled, hitting the floor. I heard Jewels thump down next to me.

BOOM!

I stood up, brushing myself off, and looked at my now-charred desk.

I sighed. "And I was so close, too," I muttered.

"Granyt?" Jewels said.

"Yeah?"

"You burnt my hair. Again." She didn't sound mad, just resigned.

I turned to her. Sure enough, the ends were singed. Again. "I'll cut it later," I said.

She sighed. "Thanks."

She looked not "sad", per say, but unhappy. Not her usual expression.

"C'mon, Teddy Bear, cheer up," I said, walking over and poking her nose.

She flinched. "I'm not a teddy bear!"

Before we could go on with our usual arguing, there was another knock. I realized I hadn't answered.

I walked over and opened the door.

Bee and Longshot. Hm. She was in some of our classes, but it'd been a while since we'd seen him.

"Hey," I said.

Longshot nodded. Bee said, "Hey."

"You, uh…" I started, "you wanna come in?"

Longshot frowned. Right, right. The rule.

I stepped out and closed the door. "So…" Okay, this was getting kinda awkward.

"You heard about The Duke's new invention?" Bee asked.

"Oh, yeah!" I said. "He gave me, like, a hundred dollars this morning. Kid's getting good."

"Yeah…" Bee said, looking kinda annoyed. "Well, he's working on some gravity thing, I wasn't paying attention, and we were wondering if you could make sure he doesn't blow up the building."

I giggled a little. "Sure."

As if on cue, there was a

BOOM!

ten times as loud as mine.

The three of us glanced at each other, then took off.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Bee yelled as soon as we skidded to a stop in front of Pipsqueak and The Duke's dorm.

The door was open, and everything was covered in fine, gray ash. The only ring of color was in the middle of The Duke's desk, around a set of test tubes and beakers.

The Duke turned around, standing in front of said desk, and grinned sheepishly, his face also coated in ash.

"Hi…" he said, sounding nervous.

"What. Did. You. Do," Bee said coldly.

"Heh. Um. Well. You see, I was–"

He was interrupted by the sound of pounding footsteps.

"What did you do!" Honey yelled as she and Cinnamon skidded to a stop next to us.

"How'd you get here so fast?" Bee asked, briefly distracted.

"We were already on our way over here, we heard an explosion," Honey said almost too fast for me to make out the words. "Now what just happened!"

"Nothing," The Duke assured her, sounding calmer. "I was just experimenting, and I poured a _bit_ too much of something."

A _bit_? It looked like he poured the whole tube.

Nevertheless, Honey ran up, obviously completely forgetting the rule and glomped him. He just barely managed to stay standing and blushed a bit.

"Um, Honey? You're gonna get in trouble." By now he was fire engine red.

She let go. "Oh. Right. Heh." She turned around and ran back into the hallway, blushing like crazy.

How oblivious WERE THEY?

Then again, I bet they knew they liked each other, they were just too nervous to admit it. I glanced over at Smellerbee and Longshot. _Them_, on the other hand…

Pretty much since I'd met them, I could tell he liked her. Six years later, the girl was still oblivious and DATING THEIR MUTUAL BEST FRIEND!

She was thicker than KATARA!

"Hey, why isn't anyone coming?" Jewels asked from behind me. I jumped. I didn't know she'd followed us.

Bee shrugged. "I think it's just happened too many times. Like, in Clue–the movie, not the game–when Yvette, or whatever her name is, the maid, died, they walked in… and walked right back out."

Honey giggled a little at that. The first time we watched it, she didn't stop laughing for a good three minutes.

Bee looked at me.

I sighed. "Okay. The Duke, what are you working on now?"

He beamed. Bee rolled her eyes.

"It's an anti-gravity chamber," he started.

"Bye," Bee said, walking away. Longshot followed her, of course.

"See ya," Jewels said, heading back in the direction of our dorm.

"Later," Cinnamon said, walking off. Honey followed her, but looked back and smiled at The Duke before she was out of sight.

I turned back to him. "So, what were you saying?"


	9. The Caramelldanssen

*Bee*

"Well, that was interesting," I said. We'd walked downstairs to the lounge and were sitting on the couch. I was trying to ignore all the giggly girls staring at the guy on TV.

Longshot nodded.

"I can't believe he almost blew up the building again," I muttered.

He nodded again.

Geez, he was always quiet, but this was ridiculous!

I rolled my eyes and looked around the room, seeing who else had heard an explosion too often to be bothered by that.

Let's see. Toph, looking kinda bored. Mai, looking bored to the point of suicidal – wait, why was she in the Earth dorms? Eh, whatever. Jin and Song. Hm. I would've thought they'd have ran. Suki, half watching whatever dumb teen drama was on. Haru and Teo, somehow playing pool. Jun, painting her nails black. Meng, completely absorbed in Teen Nick. Kissa, half watching, half texting. A few other kids I couldn't name off the top of my head.

"Looks like no one's really reacting to The Duke anymore," I commented.

Another nod.

Oy.

"Ah, forget this," I said, getting up. "I'm going back to Granyt and Jewels."

The depressing part is he did nothing to stop me.

I walked back up the stairs and halfway down the hall to their room and knocked.

"Back so soon?" Granyt asked after she opened the door.

"Do you have a death wish?" Jewels said from the background.

Granyt rolled her eyes. "Come on in." She opened the door the rest of the way and I stepped in. Jewels was sitting at one of their desks, half-reading Gone.

Granyt closed the door behind me. "So, what's up?"

"Eh." I shrugged. "Not much. Longshot's turned into a silent movie again."

"Hey, it's fine with us if you hang around," she said.

"Yeah," Jewels added. "Make sure nothing blows up."

Granyt rolled her eyes.

I smiled. "Thanks." I plopped down on the lower bunk and glanced around.

"Hey," I said, noticing something on the nightstand. I picked it up and turned to Granyt. "You got Mockingjay? Why didn't you tell me? You know I've been dying for this!" Why didn't I think of it earlier? I can't find the paperback anywhere.

"Maybe because I got it yesterday?" Granyt said, smiling. "Don't know why, though. I have, like, five more books to read. You can borrow it if you want."

I beamed and fell back onto the bed, cracking the book open.

_I stare down at my shoes, watching as a fine layer of ash settles on the worn leather…_

Jewels plugged her iPod into the speaker and "Love Story" started playing. I kept reading, Granyt went back to experimenting, and Jewels started doodling.

The songs played, one by one. "You Belong With Me", "If I Die Young", and "Long Night".

_Yesterday afternoon, as the door was closing–_

"White Houses" had ended a moment ago. The next one started playing.

I gulped.

Oh, no. Anything but that.

I hid behind the book as the other two recognized the song. There was a pair of gasps and another of squeals. As soon as I could hear them jump up, the words started.

"_Women are you ready to join us now?_"

I felt a tug on my hand. I peeked over the top of the book to see Granyt standing there, grinning. Jewels was already dancing.

"Please?" Granyt said before I could say no.

"No."

"_Hands in the air, we will show you how_"

"_Please_?"

"No."

"_Come and try_"

"_Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease_?"

"Granyt, no matter how much you beg, I will not do the Caramelldansen with you!"

"_Caramell will be your guide_"

Jewels looked over and raised an eyebrow, but kept dancing.

"Why not?" Granyt asked.

"I'd rather _sing_ it than dance to it."

"_So come and move your hips sing_"

Granyt smiled. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes!" I'd rather sing the _Swedish_ version than dance to it. Well, in front of anyone.

"_Oa-ah-ah_"

Granyt ran over and turned off the iPod.

"Then do it."

I sighed and stood up. "Fine, fine, fine."

Granyt looked a bit surprised but ran to stand next to Jewels.

I sighed one more time and started.

"_Women are you ready to join us now?_"

They put their hands at the top of their heads and started that silly but somehow adorable dance.

" _Hands in the air, we will show you how_

_Come and try_

_Caramell will be your guide_

"_So come and move your hips sing_

_Oa-ah-ah_"

They twisted back and forth, still doing the thing with their hands.

"_Look at you two hips do it_

_La-la-la_"

Back to the normal bunny thing.

"_You and me, can sing this melody_

"_Owah-owah-ah-oh_

"_Dance to the beat,_

_Wave your hands together_

They put their hands down and stepped side to side.

"_Come feel the heat,_"

They stepped to the left.

"_Forever and forever_"

Back to bunnies.

"_Listen and learn_"

To the left again.

"_It is time for prancing_"

And back to the bunnies.

"_Now we are here with Caramell dancing_

"_O-o-owah-owah_

_O-o-owah-owah-ah-oh_

_O-o-owah-owah_

_O-o-owah-owah-ah-oh_

"_From Sweden to UK, we will bring our song._

_Australia, USA, and you people in Hong Kong_

_They have heard,_

_This means all around the world._

"_O-o-owah-owah-ah-oh_

"_Now come on and move your hips singing_

_Oa-ah-ah_"

They twisted.

"_Look at you two hips do it_

_La-la-la_"

Back to normal.

"_You and me, can sing this melody_"

I sped up.

"_So come and_

_Dance to the beat,_

_Wave your hands together_

_Come feel the heat,_"

To the left.

"_Forever and forever._"

Back to bunnies.

"_Listen and learn_

_It is time for prancing_

_Now we are here with Caramell dancing_"

I paused like it did in the track and tried to play the music in my head. They kept going.

I waited as long as it normally did to restart the lyrics and started singing what sounded like harmony.

"_Dance to the beat,_"

They stopped and put one hand on their hip, the other in a salute.

"_Wave your hands together_"

They put the hand on their hip down and put the other in a cheer pose.

"_Come feel the heat,_

_Forever and forever._"

They put one hand on their upper leg and the other on their waist.

"_Listen and learn_

_It is time for prancing_"

They put both arms to their sides.

"_Now we are here with Caramell dancing_"

Bunnies again.

"_O-o-owah-owah_

_O-o-owah-owah-ah-oh_

_O-o-owah-owah_

_O-o-owah-owah-ah-oh_"

I sped up again.

"_So come and_

_Dance to the beat_

_Wave your hands together_

_Come feel the heat,_"

Left again.

"_Forever and forever._"

Bunnies again.

"_Listen and learn_

_It is time for prancing,_

_Now we are here with Caramell Dancing_

"_So come and_

_Dance to the beat_

_Wave your hands together_

_Come feel the heat,_"

Left.

"_Forever and forever._"

Bunnies.

"_Listen and Learn_

"_It is time for prancing,_

"_Now we are here with Caramell Dancing_"

They collapsed laughing, just like with the Time Warp last year.

I smiled and sat back down on the bed, picking the book up again.

"So," Granyt said, getting up. "You sing?"

I dropped the book, the corner hitting my foot, but I didn't feel the pain.

All I could think was, _Wow, I'm stupid_.


	10. Almost Better

*Bee*

I can't believe I forgot about that. Of _all the things_–

But, then again, it was them. It wasn't Jet, it wasn't _Katara_. It was them.

I sighed. "Yeah. I do."

Granyt raised an eyebrow. "You sound like you're embarrassed, or something."

"Well…" I sighed again. "I haven't exactly told anyone."

She looked more confused. "Why not?"

I shrugged. "Well, I don't think I'm all that great."

She rolled her eyes. "Of _course_ you don't." She walked back over to her desk, sat down, and started tinkering. "Well, if you wanna keep it a secret we won't stop you."

I smiled a bit. "Thanks."

She shrugged, still not looking up. "No prob."

Jewels looked up from her book, "If you don't want us to tell anyone, we won't."

Granyt nodded.

My smile got a little bigger. "Thanks again. I really–"

Someone knocked on the door. I got up and opened it. Jet was leaning against the doorframe, looking as laidback as ever and checking his phone.

"Hey," he said simply, looking up.

I raised an eyebrow.

He sighed, straightened up, and put the phone in his pocket. "Longshot wants to know if you wanna grab dinner with us."

Oh, of _course_ he wouldn't come up himself.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure." I turned back to the girls. "Later."

They both waved, neither looking up.

I chuckled and slipped out, closing the door behind me. We started walking.

"So…" I started. "Where'd you go after lunch?"

He shrugged. "Just hung out with the guys."

I raised an eyebrow. "Jet, there are 200 guys at this school."

He rolled his eyes. "Pip and The Duke, Bee. Pip and The Duke."

I raised an eyebrow. "What, no Sneers?"

He shook his head, smiling. "Not exactly the perfect guy to hang out with."

I chuckled. We actually hadn't seen the guy in a while. He was probably too busy with his girlfriend. Not that I minded, really.

At this point we were probably halfway there. I tried to think of something else to say. The silence between us was way more awkward than it would've been with Longshot.

He turned back to me after a moment. "What'd you do?"

"Hung out with the girls." I grinned.

He gave me a look.

"Granyt and Jewels, Jet," I mocked. "Granyt and Jewels."

"What, no Honey?" He's such a smartass.

I rolled my eyes, smiling. "She was a bit busy fusing over The Duke."

He chuckled, shaking his head.

We finally got to the caf, which luckily served all three meals. I spotted Longshot near the back. We walked over and sat down next to him.

"Yo," the boys said in unison.

"Hey," I said, at the same time, a bit brighter than I was feeling.

Longshot smiled at me. A little strangely, like he had good news. I raised an eyebrow.

He frowned a bit, shook his head lightly, and glanced at Jet, who was checking his phone again.

I turned toward him. Obviously I wouldn't get anything out of Longshot until we were alone.

"You, uh, waiting for a call?" I asked, amused. He could text Koh out of the Spirit World, but this was new.

He looked up quickly. "Uh, yeah." He put it back in his pocket.

"Who from?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "Aang." He stood up. "Be right back."

I stared after him. "Um, okay." I made sure he was out of earshot and turned to Longshot. "Since when does he talk to Aang?"

He shrugged. (I have good news.)

I kinda figured. "Well, what is it?"

He smiled. (I talked to the station. They're gonna take the song off.)

I beamed. "Thank you! So much!" I chuckled. "Convenient timing, too. Isn't this the same station?" I pointed up to the speakers.

He paled a bit. (Um, about that…)

I looked back and saw Jet walking back towards us. I smiled at him and tuned into the station, not hearing Longshot trying to get my attention. "What the Hell" was finishing. What was it with this station and Avril?

And then I heard a very familiar intro.

I blanched and turned toward Longshot, slowly.

"What was that about them taking it off?" I said through my teeth.

He gulped. (Well, they said they couldn't change the play list until tomorrow.)

My eyes grew wider. "Please let this be a joke."

Jet sat back down next to me.

"What'd I miss?"


	11. Slightly Crazy

*Longshot*

Oh, Spirits, I was in so much trouble.

She gulped silently and forced a grin. "Oh, not much." She was talking through her teeth again. She also looked slightly insane.

She stood up and grabbed my arm. "Would you excuse us for a moment?"

Without waiting for an answer, she dragged me outside the building.

And shoved me against the wall.

"I swear," she growled, a completely crazy gleam in her eye, "if that boy figures this out, I don't care if I'm half a foot shorter than you, I will _hurt_ you."

Yeah, I figured that.

I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself for a hard slap, at least. I knew this girl; she wouldn't wait to find out before she hurt me.

Instead, I heard a deep breath and felt her loosen her grip. I opened my eyes–after a split second, just to be sure.

She was suddenly sitting on the ground, leaning against the brick.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, lidded eyes looking up at me, hand brushing her hair out of her face.

I shook my head and sat down next to her. (Forget it. I fucked up, big time.)

She smiled a little. "Yeah. You did." She looked at where she'd grabbed me. I'd probably have a bruise there later. "You okay?"

I rolled my eyes. (Yes, little girl, I'm fine.)

The emotions of PO'd and amused flickered across her face. She settled for the second one.

"You realize I could beat you in a fight, hands down, right?"

I gave her a look. (Yeah. It's kinda a given. But you're still little.)

"Pfft, you're one to talk," she muttered.

I raised an eyebrow. (Excuse me?)

"You're only 5'8"," she said with a smirk.

(You're so lucky I can't hit a girl.)

"Most people wouldn't realize that applied to me," she said, surprisingly brightly.

I rolled my eyes. So she looked a little masculine–it wasn't even that, actually, it was the hair–what was the big deal?

The small smile melted off her face.

I sighed. (For the last time, you don't look–)

"That's not it," she said.

Alright, that confused me a bit. (So what's up?)

She sighed and looked back up at me. "What if Jet figures out it's me?"

I could think of two ways to respond to that.

(What's the worst that could happen?)

She shrugged. "Not much, I guess. I just have a bad feeling about it."

Here goes try number 2. (Do you really think he'll be able to figure it out?)

She looked a little confused, but, at the same time, like she kinda knew where I was going with that. "What do you mean?"

(You know how his grades are. You really think he'll make the connection?)

She chuckled. "You're right…" Then she seemed to remember who we were talking about. She punched my arm, lightly. "Hey! Don't go making fun of my boyfriend."

I winced. I would've considered it a cheap shot, but it couldn't really be one if she didn't know she was hitting me in the first place.

I shook my head and pulled it together. "Yeah, well, let's go back in before he wonders where we went."

She nodded and got up. "Yeah. Knowing him, he'll start getting all suspicious." She chuckled. "Who knows what crazy idea he'll come up with?"


	12. Stuck Like Glue

*Bee*

Dinner had finished up fine. He hadn't figured out it was me, which led to a very expected "I told you" from Longshot. I'd rolled my eyes. Also very expected. But now I was sitting in my room, listening to my iPod. I hit the next button and laughed as I recognized the intro. I grinned and sang along, bobbing my head to the beat.

"_Absolutely nobody knows me better_

_No one that can make me feel so good_

_How did we stay so long together?_

_Everybody, everybody said we never would_

_And just when I, I start to think they're right_

_The love has died_

"_Thank you for making my heart beat again_

_Heart beat again, heart beat again_

_Thank you for making me feel like a kid_

_Won't you do it and do it one time_

_Thank you for pulling me right back in, right back in, right back in_

_And I know I'm never letting this go_

_I'm stuck on you_

_Wo-oh, wo-oh, stuck like glue_

_You and me, baby, we're stuck like glue_

_Wo-oh, wo-oh, stuck like glue_

_You and me, baby, we're stuck like glue_"

I started wiggling to the music, unwilling to get up, but feeling the need to dance to it.

"_Some days I don't feel like trying_

_Some days, you know, I wanna just give up_

_When it doesn't matter who's right_

_Thought about it all night, had enough_

_You give me that look_

"_I'm sorry, baby, let's make up"_

_You do that thing that makes me laugh_

_And just like that_

"_Thank you for making my heart beat again_

_Heart beat again, heart beat again_

_Thank you for making me feel like a kid_

_Won't you do it and do it one time_

_Thank you for pulling me right back in, right back in, right back in_

_And I know I'm never letting this go_

_I'm stuck on you_

_Wo-oh, wo-oh, stuck like glue_

_You and me, baby, we're stuck like glue_

_Wo-oh, wo-oh, stuck like glue_

_You and me, baby, we're stuck like glue_"

I grinned as the style changed.

"_Wo-oh, wo–_"

Someone knocked on my door. I jumped, squeaking in surprised, the earbuds coming out from the vibration and my iPod falling off the bed.

Honey flung the door open. "Hey, Bee, I was wonder–" She broke off, staring at iPod on the ground and my defensive position. "Erm, what'cha doin'?"

"Goodbye," I deadpanned, pointing at the door.

She laughed. "We're going out for ice cream, wanna come?"

I thought a moment, half-glaring at her and biting my lip. "Fine." I reached down, turned my iPod off, shoved it in my pocket, got up, grabbed my jacket, and walked to the door.

"'Stuck Like Glue'?" she asked, trying very hard not to smile.

"Shut up," I grumbled, closing the door behind us and locking it. "Who's driving , anyway?"

"Jet," she said, smiling and batting her eyelashes.

I rolled my eyes, then paused. "Wait, he's not in some form of detention?"

She shook her head, smiling. "Aren't we lucky? Now come on!" She grabbed my wrist and started running.


	13. Ice Cream

*Bee*

"Thanks for the ride, Jin," I said, stepping out of her van. Jet had cancelled last minute, shock of all shocks. He'd said something about hanging out with the guys. So we'd all piled into the junior's old green- and brown-painted van and had a very loud ride – not just because of the bad engine.

"No problem," she said, smiling and taking the keys out. "Besides, Honey said she'd buy me some. Song never lets me keep ice cream in the dorm."

"Why not?" I asked, closing the door and walking around.

She walked over and shrugged. "Something about it getting on the carpet."

"She's such a neat freak, it's hard to believe she grew up on a farm," I said, chuckling lightly as we walked into the shop.

Honey waved us over to where she was looking at the menu hanging on the wall, not turning to look at us. Granyt, Jewels, Whistle, Lace, Mouse, The Duke, Tails, and Melody were clustered around her.

"Bee, do you wanna split something with me?" Honey asked, glancing over for just a second. "Cinnamon won't."

I looked over and saw the burn victim in question holding a table. She waved briefly, looking bored, before mouthing something somewhere along the lines of 'dragged against my will'.

I turned back to Honey. "Sure. Order whatever you want, I'll pay half." I walked over to Cinnamon and sat next to her. "How can you be dragged against your will to an _ice cream shop_?"

"I wanted to finish my movie," she explained, sounding a bit bitter. "But she threatened to leave me."

I laughed as Jin sat next to me. "So overprotective," I said, rolling my eyes. "What were you watching, anyway?"

"_Spirited Away_," the waterbender said, taking a notebook out from beside her chair and a pencil from behind her ear. She leaned the notebook on the edge of the table and started sketching the main character.

"Oh, I love that movie!" Jin said, pushing one of her braids behind her shoulder. She leaned over so she could see what Cinnamon was doing. "You draw?"

Cinnamon nodded, glancing up for just a second. "It's kinda my thing. Honey's the singer; I'm the artist."

"You should see her folder," I said, leaning back and smiling. I tried to ignore the 'Honey's the singer' line.

"Don't even start on that," Cinnamon said, not looking up. But I could see a trace of a smile.

I grinned. "Apparently it's Honey's–" I was cut off by Cinnamon jabbing her eraser into my lip.

"Shhh," she said, moving it in circles and taking the left side of my mouth with it.

"What. Are you doing?" I asked, trying not to laugh, my words muffled by the angle she had my mouth in.

"Getting you to _shhh_," she said, stopping the circles but not removing the eraser.

"You're turning into your sister," I observed.

Her eyes widened and she quickly clutched her pencil to her chest. "Shut up," she muttered.

I burst out laughing. Jin giggled.

Honey walked over. "Why are you laughing?" she asked, giggling and setting a container in front of Jin.

"Cinnamon's being a dork," I said, still smiling.

"Shut up," Cinnamon muttered again, going back to her sketching.

Honey giggled again and sat down between me and her sister. She put a container and two spoons in front of me.

"Oh, yeah," I said, remembering I was paying half. I set my purse on my lap. "How much do I owe you?" I asked, pulling out my wallet.

She waved it away. "Nothing. The fact that I make more money than you because I actually have a _job_ means you don't have to pay."

I rolled my eyes. "You sell soap and bracelets, Honey. No one considers that a job." I put my wallet back in my purse, which I set on the floor.

"I still make more money than you," she pointed out, opening the container, picking up a spoon, and sticking it in.

I picked the other one up. "'Cause the boys refuse to let me get one." I took a bite. "Mm, what is this?" I asked, taking the spoon out of my mouth.

"Raspberry with chocolate chips," Honey said through a mouthful of it.

I laughed at the way her cheeks puffed out, making her face look even rounder than usual, and had another bite.

"Longshot pretty much funds my reading and music, anyway," I said, swallowing. "I don't really need much else."

Cinnamon smirked, Jin smiled, and Honey giggled.

"What?" I asked, staring blankly.

Cinnamon shook her head. "You're so–"

She was cut off by Whistle half-skipping over, dragging Lace behind her.

"Hi!" the younger girl said happily. The older broke free, walked over to the chair next to Cinnamon, sat down, and patted her lap. Whistle grinned, set a container on the table, and sat, wrapping her arms around the other girl's neck.

"What did we miss?" Lace asked, expressionless as she opened their container.

"That Honey makes more money than Bee," Jin said, taking another bite and still smiling.

Lace raised an eyebrow, but Whistle moved one hand to pick up a spoon and brutally stab into their container with a cheerful, "Well, we knew that!", making Lace nod.

I rolled my eyes and took another bite. _Behold_, why I never felt like the oldest.

Granyt and Jewels walked over and I felt myself sink down in my seat before silently cursing myself for not trusting them.

Jewels saw that there wasn't a chair left and gently pulled Granyt over to the closest table.

"So, what's up?" Granyt asked, sitting.

I looked over at her. "Not much. They're just making me feel even smaller."

"That's possible?"

I stiffened at the voice before recognizing it and turning around, scowling.

Mouse flinched. "I was _kidding_, Spirits!" He pouted and went to sit with Granyt and Jewels. The Duke followed, laughing his head off.

The latter sat down to their left and looked over at Honey, who smiled at him. He smiled back. I tried to hide my grin at their subtle flirting, while Mouse rolled his eyes.

I heard a loud _clatter_ and turned around to see Tails half-sprawled on the ground and blinking in surprise. Melody knelt down next to her, looking partially concerned and partially amused, and offered her hand. Tails took it, picked herself up, and brushed herself off.

"I, um, I'm… okay," she said, still sounding confused.

Melody let go of her hand and checked her over one more time before smiling a bit and sitting in the last spot, in between the boys.

Tails noticed there wasn't another chair available, pulled one over, and sat between Mouse and Melody. She smiled at Mouse, but he was staring determinedly at the table, his jaw clenched. She frowned, looking hurt, and half-stabbed her ice cream with her spoon. Melody turned to them, but I couldn't see her expression.

"I know it's been like this for a while," I said quietly, leaning towards Honey, "but what's up with Tails and Mouse? You can _feel_ the awkward."

Honey opened her mouth to say something, but Cinnamon cut her off with a shake of her head.

"Not our story to tell," the older girl whispered, still sketching.

Honey bit her lip slightly, but nodded. Lace did, too, making Whistle look at her, confused.

"Don't worry about it," Lace said quietly, wrapping an arm around the younger girl's waist. Whistle shrugged it off and had another bite before feeding Lace one, making the older girl smile just a bit.

I raised an eyebrow at how quiet everything had gotten so quickly, but went back to eating. By the time everyone had finished, there was a small conversation between Granyt and Jewels, who had gotten up and were now standing next to our table, and another between Whistle and Lace. The Duke was sitting on the floor between Honey and Cinnamon and was talking quietly to the former and Melody was looking over Cinnamon's shoulder and commenting on her sketch, leaving Mouse and Tails alone at the other table.

"What do you think happened between those two?" I whispered to Jin, watching the increasing awkwardness at the other table and remembering how they used to be best friends.

She shrugged. "He probably did something stupid and doesn't want her finding out, so she feels hurt that he's avoiding her." She stood up before I could respond. "Hey, you guys ready to go?"

Mouse literally jumped out of his seat. Tails flinched, then stared down at the ground, looking depressed. Mouse glanced back and there was a flicker of guilt on his face before he bit his lip, clenched his fists, and stormed out the door.

"I'm taking that as a yes," Melody sighed. "I'll go talk to him." She straightened her ponytail and sped out, her flats lightly taping against the tile.

There was a moment of quiet before Jin asked, "Should we leave them alone for a minute?"

Honey, Cinnamon, Granyt, Jewels, The Duke, and Lace – presumably the ones who knew about all of this – nodded.

Lace lifted Whistle off of her lap and the two of the started getting all of the trash together.

No one said anything. Tails was still sitting in the same spot, staring at the ground, hands clasped in her lap.

"I'll go check on them," Cinnamon said after a minute. She walked over to the door and poked her head outside. A moment later she pulled back in, nodded at us, and ducked out.

Everyone stared leaving. I drifted over to Tails, who was finally getting up.

"You okay?" I asked, resisting the urge to put an arm around her shoulders.

She looked up at me, her startlingly green eyes wide, and frowned, biting her lip slightly. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said quietly. She pulled her jacket tighter around herself and practically ran out the door, a small stumble ruining the drama.

I followed her, slower, and climbed into the passenger side of Jin's van.

The ride back was noticeably quieter than the one there.


	14. New Neighbor

*Bee*

I walked to my door and sighed as I took out my key. When Jin dropped us off everyone had gone to their dorms with seemingly every expression but happy.

I stuck the key in the lock, turned it, and tried to open the door to no avail. I jiggled the knob and tried again, but it still didn't open.

"Need some help?"

I turned around to see a tall, tan girl with long, dark hair and startlingly green eyes like Tails's. Her insanely unreasonable tank top showed off the tattoo on her left arm.

"Uh, yeah," I said, stepping to the side, embarrassed.

"Let's see it I can still do this," she said to herself. She slammed her fist right above the doorknob and kicked the center of the door. She reached over, turned the knob, and swung the door open. "Ta da."

I stared at her for a moment, stunned. "Thanks. Um, wanna come in?" I slipped in and held the door open.

"Sure," she said, shrugging. She stepped in. "I'm Jasliene," she said as I closed the door behind her and shoved my key back into my pocket.

"Smellerbee," I said, shaking her offered hand, "but most of my friends call me Bee."

She smirked a bit. "Nice name."

"Long story," I said, taking my jacket off. "So, are you new here?"

She nodded. "Just moved in next door."

I raised an eyebrow. That was the only empty dorm in the whole building. "Don't like people?"

She shrugged, then looked around. "Seems you don't, either."

I smirked. "Yeah, well, I have my reasons."

"Me, too," she said, absentmindedly running her hand over her tattoo.

"Like what?" I asked, sitting down on the edge of my bed and running through mine in my mind.

She shook her head. "Kind of a secret."

I rolled my eyes. "Everyone seems to be keeping secrets from me lately. Not each other, just _me_."

She shrugged again. "I'm sure it's not you." She looked over at my clock. "Well, I'd better go. Later, Bee."

"Later," I said as she walked out the door. "As if there weren't enough people in the mess that is my life," I muttered, locking it.

I sat back down, picked up my book, and went back to reading.

* * *

**AN: Yay for Jazz! She is an epic character that belongs to my friend Brooke. Who begged me to put her in here and I was more than happy to! Anyway, R&R!**


	15. Cancelled

**How many people did I freak out with that title, huh? ;P But it has a purpose! But this is very short... And very late... And not very good... But I'm really behind, so... _**

* * *

*Bee*

"Hey, Jet," I said, answering my phone and leaning against the hallway wall. "Yeah, I'm just about to go… What do you mean you can't come? …But you said that…Yes, I know… But Jet…" I sighed. "Alright, fine. See ya tomorrow."

I hung up and sighed dejectedly. "'Yeah, Bee, let's have dinner together. We haven't hung out today. Oh, wait. Never mind. Pip and Sneers need my help doing who-knows-what. Sorry.' Stupid boyfriend," I grumbled, unlocking my door. I tried to open it to no avail. Again.

I groaned, stepped over to Jasliene's door, and knocked. "Hey, Jasliene?"

"Yeah?" a voice said behind me, making me jump two feet into the air.

I turned around, still partially traumatized, to see exactly the girl I was looking for. Of course. "How long've you…?" I asked, surprised.

She shrugged. "A couple of minutes? Who were you talking to?"

"My boyfriend," I explained. "We had plans, but he cancelled."

She nodded. "I know the feeling."

That confused me a bit. What she'd said about trust issues didn't make it seem like she'd ever been in a relationship. But, then, I'd said the same thing.

"What are you gonna do?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Read for a bit to calm down, then hope I can find someone so I don't have to have dinner alone."

She nodded. "Well, I don't have any plans. Maybe you could introduce me to some people."

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't like people."

She shrugged. "Yeah, but I could definitely stand to have some friends this year."

I thought a moment, then grinned. "I know just the people."

* * *

**AN: Yeah, so this sucks... But it's here... ^^;**

**Review!**


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